I hail from India, a land rich in spices and vegetables, full of plantations and most varied flora. Given the rich varied heritage, it is possible to lead a diet that would be strictly vegetarian. Meat would be an addition only. In a country like India, meat is not primary because of our diet requirements. Furthermore, eating meat wasn't as prevalent through the centuries. The three main religions of the land, namely Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism have boycotted meat for the same because hurting a fellow being was not essential. Someone or the other should have put up a story of how meat-eaters shall be put down on the scale of humanity.
While I shifted to Arab, I have noticed that meat is not on their religion's no list. Reason obvious. Arab is a desert and barren land. Lack of dietary vegetation. The rules needed to be based on the lifestyle. Thus, Halal came into existence. Like every other, Islam had been trying to kill the wildness in a human being by defying him the pleasure of killing. Pork was put off the list for similar reasons. Chicken meat was inevitable and hence, godly.
Move to the Northern Europe, the colder Europe. You'll see that there are civilisations where alcohol is essential in diet. Yes, reason is obvious and you are guessing it right. It is essential in their diet given the temperatures and climate. Entirely dependent on what would be an ideal modest lifestyle, a religion adapts and issues its rules and regulations.
Another example I would like to quote would be the tradition of marriage. All the religions, at the end of the day, are doing the same thing. The couple take an oath. The scriptures may be different, and so may be the procedures, but the conception
persists. One male and one female trying to recapture the marvel and create a better generation, and a better world to live.
As a physics teacher, I have a great experience teaching that nothing is absolute. So is religion. What would be right for one would be wrong to the other. In total, every civilisation tries to domesticate, read civilise the man more. I'm not saying that everything is relative. The concept is absolute, a better place to live. The approach is relative.
Peshawar attacks, where Taliban kills 150 children ruthlessly is an example. Killings weren't new here. We have heard of Taliban for a lot of times now. Every time, I heard of two views. Especially having a great company of Muslims throughout my life, I could get a proper logical Quran based justification for the actions of Taliban. Except this one. It was one voice. A very grief toned one. It is dead obvious that no religion, none in human race, would ever encourage the killing of the generations to come. I could hear it in the words of taxi driver who drove me two days later, he hailed from Peshawar. I heard it in what Hillary Clinton said an
year ago. Everyone had realised the dire need to be against Taliban. Reason
obvious, it is against the concept of God and humanity. It is against the better world.
In total, all the religions are behind the concept. If you think one religion is better than the other, I would like to call you ignorant and I'm not mistaken at it.
Look at festivals. We all learnt about Diwali and how it's effective in keeping the insects and mosquitoes away, right between the rains and winter. Read it the other way, we all wanted to improve the hygiene of life and started using lights and fire to welcome winter, called it Diwali, wrote inspiring stories about it and celebrated it.
The month of Ramadan is another good example. The Islam wanted to teach humility and simplicity to human beings. Fasting through the day had been drafted effectively into Roza. Celebrate the end of Ramadan, perhaps the hottest month of an Islamic year in grandeur. Celebrate being alive.
Christmas puts all the conception into a nutshell. It's winter. Freezing temperatures and chilling winds. Gloomy days without work. In most of the Europe where winters are the worst, people are lazily crouched under blankets for days. Amidst all the laziness, there is an essential need to heat up the homes. There is a need to be not gloomy. For gloomy is sick. So what shall we do? Light up our houses, gift each other and smile. Yes, Merry Christmas. Snow shall no more be a burden, and we will make a cheerful story of a Santa who rides reindeers, his sleighs on the snow. You see it? We wanted to learn from nature, and be with it. Thus, we made festivals,
to celebrate being alive.
The word good has been put down terribly these days, but in basic, good is the root of religion. Follow your religion in a good way. If what you're doing is right for you and the generations to come, then you are right. Being right and being good, that should be the essence. Being happy, and being a part of the nature, that should be your concept. If you understand that and put it to practice, whichever religion you follow, you're being a better human being. Or, let me say, you're being a human, for we are the unique species that have civilised over centuries to be a better sustainable part of the nature.
God is nowhere else, but in you. It is when you wish to help the fellow human into leading a better life, creating a better place to live, that's when he personifies in you.
YRK SRIVATSA.
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